This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
Beds come in a variety of sizes, such as single, queen, king, and generally include a bed frame, box spring and mattresses therefor. Regardless of the size, most frames include some structure in the form of a bracket, flange, tube or other mechanism for securing a headboard thereto. This headboard attachment structure, hereinafter referred to as the headboard bracket, is often an integral part of the bed frame such that it cannot be removed when a headboard is not employed.
In these circumstances, the headboard bracket extends away from a vertical surface of the box spring and mattress such that the bracket is exposed. In some circumstances, movement of the bed during expected usage can cause the exposed bracket to bump into and damage an adjacent wall surface. In other circumstances, a person may bump into the exposed bracket when moving about the bed frame resulting in a minor injury from the impact. Padding for frame rails are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations well-known. For example, rubber pads or foam tubes have been configured to provide padding for the frame rails or bed rails. Similar, padded coverings have been developed for bed rails or headboards. Known examples of these devices are illustrated and described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,025; U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,817; U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,112; U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,212; U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,281; and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 299,393.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a headboard bracket pad which is specifically adapted for attachment only over a headboard bracket and readily adaptable for use with almost any frame configuration. The headboard bracket pad in accordance with the teachings provided herein substantially departs from the concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of protecting the adjacent wall surface and preventing injury from stubbing into headboard bracket.
The headboard bracket pad includes a padded body having a first panel and a second panel secured together with a flexible pad disposed therebetween. In some embodiments, a pair of straps extends from a first edge of the padded body. Each strap has a first attachment mechanism. An anchor strip is secured to an outer surface of the first panel and has a second attachment mechanism formed on the strip such that the second attachment mechanism is operable to engage the first attachment mechanism for releasably securing the padded body over a headboard bracket. In some embodiments, one or more magnets can be used that is/are secured to or within the padded body to permit magnetic coupling of the padded body to the metallic bed frame.
The padded body is foldable along a longitudinal axis so as to form a first padded region and a second padded region generally perpendicular to the first padded portion. The padded body is also foldable along a transverse axis to form a third region generally parallel to and folded onto the first padded region and a fourth region generally parallel to and folded onto from the second padded region.
The essential function of the headboard bracket pad is to protect humans, walls, painted surfaces and animals from harm and/or injury resulting from an impact with the headboard bracket.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.